THE ELEMENTS OF FICTION

Elements of Plot

Plot Diagram
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Definition of Plot
Plot is the action or sequence of events in a story.
In a well-written plot, one event leads to another like stairs in a staircase.

Basic Parts of Plot

Exposition Conflict
An additional element of plot!

Rising Action Climax Falling Action Resolution

PLOT=Action
Plot is the action of the story. It is a series of related events that the author describes from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. Most plots follow chronological order.
This is TIME order; plots are described in the order in which they occur.

PLOT DIAGRAM
You can keep track of the plot using a tool called a plot diagram. This is an easy way to keep track. However, there is no absolute formula for handling each of the parts of the story.

Exposition
The exposition (or opening) is the first part of the plot. Here the author establishes the setting, introduces the characters, gives any background information, and introduces the problem, or conflict.

Rising Action
The rising action is a series of conflicts or struggles that build a story or play toward its climax. In most stories, the characters do not solve their problems on the first try. As they struggle to solve their problems, tensions rise.

Climax
This is the turning point or high point of the story. Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict and will begin to think of a way to solve it. The main character will change in some way.

Falling Action
All loose ends of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of and the author describes how the problem was solved.

Resolution
The resolution comes after the falling action and brings the story to a reasonable ending.

The Plot Diagram

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Elements of Conflict

Conflict
Conflict is the struggle or problem that triggers the action/events in a story. Conflict occurs after the exposition and before the rising action begins
Five types of conflict are recognized throughout literature:
Person vs. Person Person vs. Self Person vs. Nature Person vs. Society Person vs. Fate

Person vs. Person

A conflict between two or more people.

Example: two friends get in an argument and stop speaking to each other.

PERSON VS. SOCIETY

A conflict between a person and the laws or beliefs of a group.

Example: a person goes to the Capital and protests a new law.

PERSON VS. NATURE

Example: a hiker gets lost in the A conflict mountains.
between a person and an element of the natural world.

PERSON VS. SELF

A conflict within a person.

Example: an alcoholic struggles to overcome his addiction.

PERSON VS. FATE

A conflict between a person and something that seems out of their control.

Example: an ancient Greek hero fights Poseidon, the god of the sea.

WHAT KIND OF CONFLICT IS IT?

A family loses its home in a hurricane.

WHAT KIND OF CONFLICT IS IT?

A man blames God for the death of his wife, so he stops attending church and praying.

WHAT KIND OF CONFLICT IS IT?

A recent high-school graduate is struggling to decide which college to go to.

Point of View

First Person Point of View

In first person, the story is told by one of the characters. The reader only knows the thoughts and feelings of that character. First person pronouns are often clues
I, me, my, we, our, etc.

First Person Point of View

A first person narrator is often used when the story is told from the perspective of the main character.
This allows the reader to understand the actions of the main character from his or her point of view. The drawbacks of the first person narrator include only have one perspective to make judgments. The narrator might be unreliable.

First Person Narrator: Example

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First Person Narrator: Example

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Third Person Point of View

The POV is often called
because the story is told by a narrator who only knows the thoughts and feelings of ONE character. The pronouns he, she, and they are often used.

limited omniscient

All characters have privacy except for one. This POV gives the impression that we are very close to the mind of that ONE character, though viewing it from a distance.

Third Person POV: Example

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Third Person Omniscient POV

This story will be told by a narrator who is not a character in the book. This narrator is Godlike because he/she knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.

The omniscient narrator can enter the minds of characters and knows everything that is going on in the present, past, and future.

Third Person Omniscient POV Example

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Elements of Character

Narrator
This is a person or character actually telling the story. He or she know background information and can fill in important details.

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Characterization
Techniques an author uses to develop the personality of a character.

Dialect
A form of language that is spoken in a particular place by a particular group of people.

Dialogue
Words spoken by a character Found in quotation marks
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Protagonist

This is usually the main character in a story. He or she is central to the action.

Antagonist

This is the person, thing, or force working against the protagonist. Another word to describe this character is foil.

Static Character

A character that stays the same throughout the course of the story. He or she does not change or learn a lesson. Also called a flat character.

Dynamic Character
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A character that changes throughout the course of a story. This character will learn a lesson from his/her experiences. Also known as a round character.

Main Character
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This is an important character that the story cannot go on without.

Minor Character
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A character that is not important. The story can go on without him or her.

Genre
A category of literature characterized by similarities in subject matter.

Mood
The feeling a literary work gives to readers.

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Authors Purpose
An authors reason for creating a piece of writing. It may be to
Explain Persuade Entertain

Theme
The statement about life the author is trying to teach the reader. Also, referred to as the moral.

Symbol
A person, place, thing, or event used to represent something else.
Common Symbols in Literature
Dove--peace Ice--death Spring--youth, birth, life Water--birth, rebirth Winter-- death, dying, old age Eagle--freedom, liberty, strength Skull--death Rose--love, beauty Crown--wealth, royalty Wedding ring--love, commitment Sunrise--new start, beginning Full moon--danger, weirdness Autumn--middle age, maturity

Authors Style
The way the author uses words, phrases, and sentences to express him/herself. Can include word choice and sentence structure

Style: Example 1

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Style: Example 2

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Foreshadowing
When the author gives clues or hints about what will happen later in a story.

Flashback
When the author interrupts the story to give necessary background information on character, setting, or plot.

Dialect: Comma Gets a Cure

Dialect 1 Male actor, Jewish, born 1975, Manhattan http://web.ku.edu/~idea/no rthamerica/usa/newyork/ne wyork13.mp3 Dialect 2 Tennessee, Caucasian female, born 1979, university student http://web.ku.edu/~idea/no rthamerica/usa/tennessee/t ennessee8.mp3 Dialect 3 Native American female, college student http://web.ku.edu/~idea/no rthamerica/usa/southdakota /southdakota1.mp3

Dialect 4 White male, college student, age 22 http://web.ku.edu/~idea/ europe/ireland/ireland12. mp3